Anthony Bogadek was born in Croatia during wartime, and was home schooled at a young age. He became a member of the Catholic Order the Salesians of Don Bosco, arriving in Hong Kong in 1949 to teach at St. Louis School. He left Hong Kong to study theology and became a Salesians' priest in 1958. St. Louis School founded the Biology Department, and Bogadek was sent to University College Dublin to study biology in order to teach evolution from the perspective of Catholicism, he completed the degree with first-class honour and began teaching biology in 1968. 

In 1975, Bogadek was introduced to reptiles by John Romer, a recognised herpetological expert, after attending his lecture at the University of Hong Kong. Romer invited him to join the Hong Kong Natural History Society and encouraged him to go collect specimens. He began by climbing up the hills behind the University (now Lung Fu Shan) in search of species. He would then bring the collected species to Romer, who was no longer physically able to undertake field work, for identification. To his surprise he found quite a lot of snakes, and his discovery soon extended to lizards and frogs. Bogadek’s students began joining him in the field, collecting reptiles and amphibians at all hours and bringing them back to school for observation and research. Some were made into teaching specimens. As funding was limited, Bogadek made most of the meticulous specimens by himself.

After Romer passed from illness in 1980, Bogadek continued his unfinished work on a comprehensive Hong Kong herpetofauna book. In 1986, the book Hong Kong Amphibians and Reptiles was finally published. Bogadek insisted on listing his students as first and second authors despite his contribution as the main writer and researcher of the book.

Bogadek also played a key role in rediscovering the Romer’s Tree Frog (Liuxalus romeri) in 1984, an endemic species thought to have been extinct for 40 years. He also discovered new species unique to Hong Kong, such as Bogadek’s Burrowing Lizard (Dibamus bogadeki) in Hei Ling Chau. As he once said, “We know so little about these animals, because so much of their lives is lived where we can't see them. One repeatedly finds that, what is written about them in books and is generally accepted as part of the authentic record, is contradicted by one’s observations.” 

Bogadek’s legacy made him the leading Hong Kong herpetological expert after Romer with countless successful students. Now retired, he continues to visit the biology classroom where he once taught.